From Mosalsky District of Kaluga Province.

1) At first, they say, they requisitioned livestock on the hoof — this caused extreme discontent among the peasants.

They even said, supposedly, that we were "robbing" them.

Then, they say (in October 1920), they switched to requisitioning not livestock on the hoof, but meat (13 pounds from a cow, 26 pounds from a pig, 7 pounds from a sheep, etc.). The peasants were very satisfied with such a change.

Now, they say, they have begun requisitioning livestock on the hoof again: once again discontent and exacerbation of peasant resentment.

2) Silkovskaya volost, the former Baryatinsky estate (and later a German one, something like Shalart), probably more than 1,000 desyatinas.

Everything was taken over as a Soviet farm, the land lies fallow, they take, it is said, millions from the treasury, they ploughed no more than 5 desyatinas in 1920. There are 10 horses left (there were about 100), 30-40 cows (there were 200). No one makes any effort. The furniture was carried off, etc.

The neighboring peasants are in great need of land and are very dissatisfied that they are given neither meadows nor land.
(Nik. Semyonovich Bodyakov, Silkovskaya volost, village of Filipkovo, Mosalsky District, Kaluga Province.)

I request comrades Bryukhanov and Sereda to order an investigation and give it to me no later than two days.

Can this be satisfied? Or what is the obstacle? 19

Lenin

First published in 1942

in Leninsky Sbornik XXXIV

Printed from the manuscript